Well tool



L. HARTSELL Sept. 4, 1945.

WELL TOOL Filed 001;. 20, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l I I l I I I I l I I I l ll IJ H Zhwentor attorneys fl///////////v P 1945- L. HARTSELL 2,384,090

WELLYTOOL 'Filed Oct. 20, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A @u,&..,

Gttornegs Zmnentor Patented Sept. 4, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELL TOOL Lee Hartsell, Houston, Tex.

Application October 20, 1944, Serial No. 559,592

6 Claims.

This invention relates to clean-out tools for use in drilled wells, and provides a practical and rugged valve unit which may be interposed in a string of drill pipe.

The valve unit is simple in construction and need not be'over five feet in length, so that it can be readily transported. It has no exposed delicate parts. and indeed no delicate parts in its entire make-up. Generally stated, a cylindrical sustaining shell or sleeve encloses an upward-closing check valve which controls a passage leading to the bore of the drill-pipe, bailer pipe, or other type, to which the unit is attached. The valve is held normally closed by a spring, but i forced open by a telescoping tubular plunger when the tool mounted below the valve engages the bottom of the drill hole.

The invention also contemplates a junk basket which may be mounted below the valve and which includes a relief valve of very simple construction.

Many devices for the same general purpose have been proposed heretofore, but as a rule these have included parts too delicate for the severe service that is inevitably encountered. Most of them can be successfully used only by expert operatives, and few if any, are capable of being repaired in the field.

The effort in developing the device hereinafter disclosed was so to arrange the mechanism that all parts would be of the maximum practicable strength. Small inaccessible springs, and slender push rods have been completely eliminated. Telescoping parts are of maximum practicable size and adequately splined, so that the valve may be interposed in a drill pipe above any tool.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, which has demonstrated marked utility in actual use, will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an axial section of the valve unit and junk basket, assembled. The valve-open position is illustrated and the junk basket is shown partly broken away.

Figure 2 is an axial section of the valve unit, drawn on a larger scale and showing the valve closed.

Figure 3 is a similarly enlarged axial section of the junk basket.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary axial section showing the Joint between the two sections of the valve housing, the valve seat and the splines which hold the telescoping plunger against tuming in the housing.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the telescoping plunger.

Figure 7 shows the assembled relation of the parts shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 3-3 01' Fig. 5.

Figure 9 is a bottom view of the telescoping plunger.

Figure 10 is a section on the line llll0 oi. Fig. 2.

The housing of the valve comprises an upper section II and a lower section l2 threaded together at l3. Inserted between them is the annular valve seat It. This is held by a peripheral flange which fills an annular rebate formed in the lower section l2 to receive it.

The valve seat It is at the upper end of a valve chamber i5 from which a passage [6 leads to the lower end of the threaded tapered nipple ll. The valve is a ball l3 urged to its seat I 4 by a coil compression spring l9, which is rather heavy, and of sufllcient length to assure that it will never be over-stressed.

The upper section H (see Fig. 5) has a guideway 2| concentric with the aperture in seat It and of the same diameter. Above this is a stop shoulder 22 from which lead two heavy splines 23. These preferably are integral with the part II. Above the splines 23 the part II is internally threaded at 24.

The telescoping member which serves to unseat the valve I8 comprises a tubular stem 25 at the -upper end of which is a head 26 and tapered threaded nipple 21. This is used to connect the stem to the lower end of a drill pipe or bailer pipe 23 as shown in Figure 1.

The head 23 forms a shoulder at the upper end of stem 25. At the lower end of stem 25 is a collar 29 which is slotted at 3| to receive the splines 23. An externally threaded ring 32 encircles stem 25 and makes a free sliding fit therewith. It is screwed to the bottom of threads 24 and serves as a stop to limit upward motion of collar 29 (see Fig. 2). Downward motion is limited by shoulder 22 (see Fig. 1).

Below collar 29 there is a cruciform extension 33 of such length that when collar 29 is at its lower limit of motion valve I8 is held from seat H (see Fig. 1), and when the collar is at its upper limit of motion the valve l3 closes against its seat (see Fig. 2). The lower end of extension 33 is formed to hold the ball valve l8 centered, while unseated. (See Fig. 1.)

Four ports 34 (see Figs. 6, 9 and 10) lead through the head 29 to the bore 35 of the tubular stem 25. Bore 35 leads through head 26 and nipple 21 and communicates with the interior of pipe 20.

A gland nut 28 encircles stem 25 and is threaded into the upper end 01' threads 24 to compress suitable packing 81 and thus seal stem 26 to part II. The construction described permits stem 25 to telescope into sh'ell II, but prevents relative rotary motion and prevents leakage between the telescoping parts. A coil compression spring 38 encircles stem 28 and reacts between the nut 88 and the shoulder formed by head 26.

- Consequently it biases the parts toward relative positions in which the valve I8 is allowed to so.

The junk basket is shown as a unit in Figure 3, and shown attached below the valve unit in Figure 1.

The attaching means is a head 4| having a threaded tapered attaching socket 42 to which an axial bore 43 leads. Below head 4| is a reduced cylindrical neck 44, and below that is a second head 45 which is externally threaded at its lower end up to a shoulder 46. A piece of tubing 41 forms the basket proper. It is internally threaded at its upper end and is screwed onto the lower end of head 45 so that it seats against shoulder 46.

Several ports 48 are drilled .through head 45, leading from the interior of tubing 41 to the flat shoulder surrounding neck 44. An annular plate valve 48 closes the ports 48 and is held seated by a coil compression spring 5| which is under suflicient initial stress to hold the valve 48 closed until pressures within tube 41 approach a safe limit.

Formed in the tube 41 near its lower open end are a series of lateral drilled ports 52. Above these are curved resilient trap fingers 53 arranged as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and attached by rivets. These fingers yield to permit the entrance of junk and are a well known element of junk baskets.

Ope ation The valve unit, made up of the components between the ni ple 21 and nipple l1 may b run in the drill string between the drill pipe 28 and any tool, thus forming a valve-controlled passage between the pipe 28 and the .tool. Alternatively the valve unit may be mounted at the lower end of a caller pipe, and between it and various types of bailers and junk baskets.

For purposes of explanation the arrangement shown in Figure 1 will be assumed. In such case the junk basket of Figure 3 is mounted below the valve unit and the pipe 28 is assumed to be the drill pipe.

In fishing for tools or junk in the bottom of a drilled bore, using the parts shown in Figure 1, the string is lowered into the bore. Initially the parts are in the elongated condition of Figure 2, i. e. the collar 28 is against stop ring 32 and valve l8 is closed.

As the tiottom oi the bore is approached the lower end of tube 41 can encircle Junk or the like at the bottom of the bore. Rotary motion of the string will facilitate entrance of the junk into the lower end of the tube. Arrest of tube 41 at the bottom of the bore, and continued lowering of pipe 28 will cause stem 25 to telescope into sleeve H and unseat valve I8. The sudden rush of liquid into passage 25 and pipe 28 will draw the junk past trap fingers 53, so that it can be withdrawn with the string of pipe.

Should the lower end of tube 41 become stopped p. it can be cleared by developing hydraulic pressure in pipe 28. If valve l8 be closed at this time it will Open to permit downward flow. Valve 49 limits the pressure which may be thus developed in tube 41, and so protects the tube against rupture.

What is claimed is:

l. A valve unit for interposition in a tool string between a pipe (such as a drill pipe or a bailer pipe) and a ported tool, comprising two telescoping elements one adapted for attachment to the pipe and the other for attachment to the tool, said elements affording a continuous longitudinal passage communicating at its upper end with the pipe and at its lower end with the port in the tool; stop and guiding means between said elements serving to inhibit relative rotary movement and to limit the relative axial movements in both directions; a checkvalve controlling said passage; elastic means biasing said valve in a closing direction; and a part carried by one of said members and arranged to unseat said valve when the members are telescoped and allow it to seat at other times.

2. A valve unit for interposition in a tool string between a pipe (such as a drill pipe or a bailer pipe) and a ported tool, comprising a generally cylindrical body adapted for attachment to the tool and a headed plunger adapted for attachment to the pipe, said plunger being slidable in an axial direction through one end of the body so as to telescope thereinto, said body and plunger being formed to ailord a continuous axial passage communicating at its respective ends with the bore of the pipe and the port in the tool; stop and guiding means serving to limit relative axial motion of the plunger and body in both directions and to inhibit relative rotary motion; means forming a valve chamber and downward facing valve seat interposed in said passage; a valve in said chamber adapted to close against said seat; a spring biasing said valve toward said seat; means carried by the lower end of said plunger adapted to engage and unseat said valve when the plunger is telescoped into the body; and a coil compression spring surrounding said plunger and reacting between the head thereof and the upper end of the body.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 in which the body is constructed in two sections threaded together adjacent the valve chamber, and the valve seat is in the form of a separate annulus clamped between the body sections.

4. The combination defined in claim 2 in which the stop and guiding means takes the form of a longitudinally slotted cylindrical collar on the lower end of the plunger arranged to shift between annular stop shoulders and to engage longitudinal splines both carried by the body.

5. The combination defined in claim 2 in which the stop and guiding means takes the form of a longitudinally slotted cylindrical collar on the lower end of the plunger arranged to shift between annular stop shoulders and to engage longitudinal splines both carried by the body, and the valveunseating means comprises a winged pilot projecting below said collar and arranged to pass through the valve seat and force the valve from its seat.

6. For connection with the lower end of a pipe, such as a drill pipe or bailer pipe, 2. valved bailing unit comprising in combination a tube open at its lower end and having at its upper end a closure formed with a. reduced neck, a head with attaching means and a passage leading through the neck and attaching means; resilient trap fingers in the lower portion of said tube; a relief valve and loading spring therefor encircling said neck and ara,sss,ooo 3 ranged to relieve excessive hydraulic pressures developed in said tube; two telescoping elements 7 one attached to the attaching means of said head and the other adapted ior attachment to said pipe, said elements aflording a continuous longitudinal passage adapted to communicate at its upper end with said pipe and at its lower end with the passage leading through said head and neck; stop and guiding means between said elements 

